It's All About Me

THEATRE IN REVIEW: Guys and Dolls - Blue Fish Theatrical

The guys are only doing it for some dolls! And for the musical theatre loving audiences of Brisbane of course. In the latest of their big, all singing all dancing musical productions, Blue Fish Theatrical present the timeless classic romantic comedy, Guys and Dolls. Blue Fish have garnered a reputation for aiming high and dreaming big with their musicals and this one is no exception.

Set in 1940s New York, gambler Nathan Detroit (Jason Lawson) has been engaged to bubbly but constantly sneezing showgirl Adelaide (Miranda Selwood) for 14 years. Aside from his fear of commitment he also has a fear that he won't be able to find a venue for his secret craps game if he can't come up with $1000 for venue hire. In an effort to rustle up the dosh, Detroit bets his big time pal Sky Masterson (Toby Campbell) that he can't make the next woman he sees fall in love with him. When that doll happens to be the neighbourhood missionary, Sarah Brown (Melissa Scheele) Detroit thinks the bet is won. But things don't ever turn out that easy.

This is a great fun musical that is easy to watch and follow. Performance wise, Lawson was enjoyable to watch, displaying just the right amount of confidence laced with anxiety as the authoritative but on-the-ropes Detroit. Similarly Scheele, while taking a little while to warm up, settled into the role of Miss Brown beautifully; she really looked and felt as though she had stepped straight out of the 1940s. Campbell did a capable job as Sky Masterson and sounded lovely singing wise, but I would have liked to see a little more chemistry between him and Sarah, as I felt at times he was singing to the audience when it should have been directed at her (this may be a direction fault though). The absolute stand out and star of this show for me was Selwood. Her lovesick, shrill and excitable Adelaide was a joy to behold and she stole every scene she was in, not dropping character for a single second. Special mention should also go to Ian Maurice as Brannigan. He proves the old adage that there are no small parts, only small actors by really making the role shine. The leads were supported by a solid ensemble that added to the atmosphere of the show well. The dance scenes (particularly a tap dancing musical interlude of Luck Be a Lady and a rather picturesque silhouette dance in a Havana nightclub) showed pizzazz and flair.

I've always loved the old-time glamour of this musical and Blue Fish really evoke the era with bright and exciting costumes and scenery. The fledgling company seem determined to try to raise the bar in the set stakes, using fly space and scrims, and many other tricks that other amateur and pro am theatre companies don't dare go near. This is impressive in parts but unfortunately there are a few minor tech hitches on preview night, which slowed the show down and made a few scenes clunkier than they should have been. Hopefully these will be smoother as the run progresses. Where the show fell down for me was in the pacing... the show is set in the hustle and bustle of a big city and it should project that to the audience. In parts, actors didn't jump on their cues as quickly as is required in a show of this calibre and occasionally drifted in and out of accents, which resulted in peaks and troughs throughout the show and made some of the jokes fall flat. But again, hopefully these quibbles will be ironed out through the run.

Having said that, Guys and Dolls is still very enjoyable and Blue Fish should be commended on aiming high in a struggling theatrical climate. I urge you to see this production to support the industry and ensure Blue Fish Theatrical can continue to make these sorts of musicals.

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